Category Archives: Caribbean

Data captured by Earth Observing satellites can help visualize the SO2 emissions from the erupting volcano in the Caribbean as it travels around the world. Image: ADAM Platform / Meteorological and Environmental Earth Observation

While the very visible ash exploding out of the erupting La Soufriere Volcano on St. Vincent in the Caribbean has led to countless heartbreaking photographs and videos shared online, satellites are tracking another hazard from the volcano as a potentially toxic plume rises from it and wraps around the Earth. Based on data captured by the Sentinel-5 Earth-observing satellite, the toxic plume of sulfur dioxide has made it all the way to India as of yesterday.

The ADAM Platform has been sharing images reflecting the volume of sulfur dioxide (SO2) leaving the Caribbean volcano as it spreads over northern South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, and now Asia. Imagery shared yesterday shows a narrow band of concentrated SO2 emissions reaching as far away as India. The ADAM Platform is using data from the Sentinel 5-Precursor satellite, also known as Sentinel 5P, which was launched into space by the European Space Agency (ESA) in October 2017. As part of the European Commissions Copernicus program, the Sentinel 5P was the first in the series dedicated to monitoring the Earths atmosphere. Using the state-of-the-art Tropomi instrument, it is able to collect data on a variety of gases in the atmosphere such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, and various aerosols.

Sulfur dioxide affects human health when it is breathed in. It irritates the nose, throat, and airways to cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or a tight feeling around the chest. The effects of sulfur dioxide are felt very quickly and most people would feel the worst symptoms in 10 or 15 minutes after breathing it in. Those most at risk of developing problems if they are exposed to sulfur dioxide are people with asthma or similar conditions. Extreme concentrations of sulfur dioxide can be deadly if inhaled. When combined with other substances additional hazards can be created; as an example, rain falling through a sulfur dioxide plume could produce an acid rainfall. Sulfur dioxide is invisible to the human eye, but when it reacts with other gases, aerosol particles can form to cause haze, and according to NASA in extreme widespread events, climate cooling.

During the May 2018 eruption of Hawaiis Kilauea Volcanos Lower East Rift Zone, sulfur dioxide was covering the surface in a residential neighborhood from erupting fissures. During that eruption, a plume of sulfur dioxide was detected by the Ozone Mapper Profiler Suite (OMPS) on the Suomi-NPP satellite. During the height of that eruption during the spring and summer of 2018, authorities evacuated people from the danger sulfur dioxide posed. Hawaii Fire Department reports extremely dangerous conditions due to high levels of Sulfur Dioxide gas in the evacuation area. Elderly, young, and people with compromised respiratory systems are especially vulnerable, warned the Hawaii County Civil Defense in 2018. They added, The high levels detected are an immediate threat to life for all who become exposed. First responders may not be able to come to the aid of residents who refuse to evacuate.

According to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre and their latest scientific update issued earlier today, the first successful measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO2) flux were taken along the west coast of St. Vincent and yielded an average SO2 flux of 809 tons per day. Flux is the measurement of mass of SO2 in the plume, a stream of gas vented by the volcano, the Seismic Research Centre wrote. They added, The presence of SO2 tells us that fresh magma from a deeper (location) is being degassed indicating that the eruption is continuing.

https://t.co/ThsZzM8InY

the Weatherboy (@theWeatherboy) April 15, 2021

While harmful gas can be an issue near the active vents, as was the case with Kilaueas 2018 eruption, the gas can also rise high and spread far from the eruption, as is the case now with La Soufriere. Large quantities of SO2 in the atmosphere can have significant implications to global climate.

In the journal Thin Solid Films, Peter Ward published a report in 2019on how sulfur dioxide initiates global climate change in 4 ways. All major historic volcanic eruptions have formed sulfuric acid aerosols in the lower stratosphere that cooled the earths surface ~ 0.5 C for typically three years. While such events are currently happening once every 80 years, there are times in geologic history when they occurred every few to a dozen years. These were times when the earth was cooled incrementally into major ice ages. There have also been two dozen times during the past 46,000 years when major volcanic eruptions occurred every year or two or even several times per year for decades. Each of these times was contemporaneous with very rapid global warming.

According to Ward, when major volcanic eruptions do not occur for decades to hundreds of years, the atmosphere can oxidize all pollutants, leading to a very thin atmosphere, global cooling and significant, long-term drought. Prior to the 20th century, increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide followed increases in temperature initiated by changes in sulfur dioxide. But since the 20th century, the atmosphere has become rich with other greenhouse gasses due to the industrial revolution.

It is too soon to determine what impacts this plume of SO2 will have on global climate and whether any significant cooling or even warming could occur.

On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo had a massive eruption that lasted 9 hours; using satellite data of that event, scientists estimated that the total sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere was roughly 15-20 million tons. Because that single eruption occurred with a tremendous amount of force, ash and gas was ejected high into the stratosphere. Strong stratospheric winds spread the sulfur dioxide and its related aerosol particles around the globe over a two year period. Based on analysis of that volcanic eruption and global temperatures, NASA believes there was a global drop in temperature of about 1 degree F / 0.6 degrees C. Because the stratosphere is above the troposphere where weather occurs, rain wasnt able to wash-out the SO2 from the eruption as efficiently as it would in the troposphere, leading to more significant climate impacts.

Beyond the impacts to St. Vincent and nearby islands from gas and ash, scientists around the globe will help determine what, if any, the global impacts from this Caribbean eruption could be. While the 809 tons/day of SO2 currently coming from La Soufriere pales in comparison to the 15-20 million tons ejected from Mount Pinatubo, La Soufriere continues to erupt with somewhat regular explosive eruptions. Exactly how much gas is released and where in the atmosphere it is inserted will be key to determining what long range impacts this single volcano will have around the Earth.

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Toxic Plume from Caribbean Volcano Wraps Around Earth; Arrives Over India - Weatherboy

KEY FIGURES

977.8K NEW COVID-19 CASES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN FROM 12-18 APRIL 2021

78.1M COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES ADMINISTERED IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN

REGIONAL

According to PAHO, the slow delivery of vaccines, challenges in vaccination roll-outs, the premature easing of public health measures and the circulation of more contagious variants are leading to a COVID-19 surge in the region. South America continues to be the epicentre of the virus, with cases rising sharply in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and areas in Bolivia bordering Brazil, while Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile also report growing caseloads.

The highly contagious P.1 variant from Brazil is driving the surge in cases and deaths in South America and some neighboring Caribbean countries, including Guyana and French Guiana, with cumulative cases in the sub-region now approaching 23,000,000.

BRAZIL

As the pandemic rages on, largely fueled by the highly contagious P.1 variant, Brazils two biggest vaccine producers are facing supply shortages. Brazil has been largely dependent on the AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by the Fiocruz Health Institute, and the Chinese-manufactured CoronaVac.

Against the mounting pressure to scale up their roll-out, the Ministry of Health acquired tens of millions of shots from Sao Paulo states Butantan Institute. However, both the Butantan Institute and Fiocruz now face supply constraints, as the former has suspended production while it awaits the active ingredient from China, while the latter has produced a mere 4 million of the 50 million doses it agreed to deliver by the end of April.

Brazil now faces a worsening public health crisis, with the Government only managing to fully vaccinate 7,506,646 people, the equivalent of 3.5 per cent of the population, as intensive care units (ICUs) are above 90 per cent capacity in most states and 7 out of every 10 hospitals are at risk of running out of oxygen and anesthetic.

MEXICO

According to WHO, Mexico could have avoided 190,000 deaths during the pandemic in 2020. Mexico, which ranks fourth in excess mortality, only behind Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, recorded 43 per cent more deaths in 2020 than expected when compared to trends from 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Recently, the Government itself reported that its real COVID-19 death toll is more than 110,000 higher than the approximately 210,000 COVID19-related deaths officially reported.

As resource-strapped hospitals became overwhelmed amid the pandemic, patients were encouraged not to seek medical attention unless experiencing severe symptoms, which contributed to high mortality rates, with an estimated 58 per cent deaths occurring outside hospitals.

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Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update (12-18 April 2021), as of 19 April 2021 - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - ReliefWeb

For many, the main point of investing in the stock market is to achieve spectacular returns. And we've seen some truly amazing gains over the years. Don't believe it? Then look at the Caribbean Investment Holdings Limited (LON:CIHL) share price. It's 339% higher than it was five years ago. If that doesn't get you thinking about long term investing, we don't know what will.

See our latest analysis for Caribbean Investment Holdings

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

We know that Caribbean Investment Holdings has been profitable in the past. However, it made a loss in the last twelve months, suggesting profit may be an unreliable metric at this stage. So we might find other metrics can better explain the share price movements.

We are not particularly impressed by the annual compound revenue growth of 1.2% over five years. So why is the share price up? It's not immediately obvious to us, but a closer look at the company's progress over time might yield answers.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

earnings-and-revenue-growth

Take a more thorough look at Caribbean Investment Holdings' financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

We've already covered Caribbean Investment Holdings' share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Caribbean Investment Holdings' TSR of 423% for the 5 years exceeded its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

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While the broader market gained around 32% in the last year, Caribbean Investment Holdings shareholders lost 5.6%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 39% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Caribbean Investment Holdings that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on GB exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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Did You Participate In Any Of Caribbean Investment Holdings' (LON:CIHL) Incredible 423% Return? - Yahoo Finance

The Department of State has increased the Travel Advisory Level for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines toLevel 4 Do not travel to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines due to COVID-19.

Readthe Department of StatesCOVID-19pagebeforeyou plan any international travel.

TheCenters for Disease Controland Prevention(CDC)has issued aLevel 4 Travel Health NoticeforSaint Vincent and the Grenadines due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.

Visit the EmbassysCOVID-19 pagefor more information on COVID-19 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Read thecountry information page.

If you decide to travel to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:

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By U.S. Embassy Bridgetown | 21 April, 2021 | Topics: Alert

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Travel Advisory Update for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - US Embassy Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean | US Embassy in Barbados, the Eastern...

RABAKA, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Reuters) -The tiny eastern Caribbean island of Saint Vincent was blanketed with a thin layer of ash and a strong sulphur smell hung in the air on Saturday, a day after a volcano spectacularly erupted after decades of inactivity.

The eruption of La Soufriere on Friday pumped dark clouds of ash some 10 km (6 miles) into the air, prompting an evacuation of some nearby residents.

Rumbling noises continued to emanate from the volcano, with ash coating rooftops, cars and roads in Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Videos from Saint Vincent showed a ghost-like landscape.

A Reuters witness in the town of Rabaka, about 2 miles from the volcano, said the ground was covered with about 12 inches (30 cm) of ash and rock fragments from the blast. Ash clouds blotted out the sun, giving the sky a bleak twilight look.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said it was unclear how much more ash the volcano would vent out, adding that more than 3,200 people were now in shelters.

All Im asking of everybody is to be calm, Gonsalves told reporters on a visit to a shelter.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where just over 100,000 people live, has not experienced volcanic activity since 1979, when an eruption caused approximately $100 million in damages. La Soufrieres eruption in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people.

In a statement issued at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), Saint Vincents National Emergency Management Organisation said steaming/smoking from the volcano had increased in the last few hours, warning those that live close to the site to be prepared to evacuate at short notice.

Earlier, the agency said on its Facebook page that strong sulphur scents pervade the air and urged residents to be careful.

Authorities say they are awaiting scientific findings before announcing what further steps to take.

Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Diane Craft and Paul Simao

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Ash coats Caribbean island of Saint Vincent after volcano eruption - Reuters

What fun it is for a foodie to be able to walk the length of a gas station on Altamont Avenue in Rotterdam, New York, and be able to enjoy a sampling of Caribbean cuisine! While the Schenectady area has been known for years for its Italian restaurants, current residents have begun discovering Mexican, Thai, Guyanese and Dominican restaurants occupying small spaces but making big contributions to local dining choices.

A quick, 100-foot jaunt can transport you to a feast of sweet or savory empanadas, yellow rice and crispy catfish to the exotic flavors of Arroz Amarillo con Guandules (Pigeons with Yellow Rice) or Mofongo con Chicarron de Cardo (Mashed Green Plantains with Fried Pork).

KR Dominican Cousine is not a fancy place. Three small tables are positioned on two outer walls and a multifunctional counter stands in the middle of the room. Owner Ramon spends much of his time behind the counter processing credit cards or dishing out guisos (stews). A nearly life-sized Santa Claus stands guard beside the kitchen, waiting patiently for Dec. 25.

In retrospect, I wish I could have studied the menu online before visiting the venue. The print on the paper menu is small, and some of the names in English and virtually all of the names in Spanish were unfamiliar to me. Ramon politely translated the Spanish names for me so I could more easily navigate the menu.

I knew I wanted an order of fried sweet plantains ($2) because it is something I never prepare at home. Ditto for Pescado Frito (fried red snapper for $21). Despite the name sweet, the plantains did not taste like sweet bananas. These were sturdier and more bland. Plantains are often consumed for breakfast and dinner in the Dominican Republic.

With its body cavity cleaned out, the snapper was fried to a golden, parchment-like crispy outside and a flaky steaming treasure of tender meat on the dorsal side. I have no idea whether or not the snapper was seasoned; all I tasted was the sweet flesh.

Guest decided to sample the pork chops and beef stew. She waxed ecstatic over the pork, commenting, When ordering fried pork chops theres always a risk of encountering a dried-out chewfest. That was not the case at KRs. Lightly seasoned, it retained moisture, rendering the chops tender while still being thoroughly cooked.

She added that Ramons generous portions provided meals for the next two days.

The red, white and blue, eye-catching, six-column menu incorporated photos to illustrate food. This was helpful. Spanish names with very small descriptions printed at times in color rendered reading and understanding difficult. The names can also be misleading. For example, Arroz Amarillo con Guandules is described as yellow rice with pigeons. But the words peas is left off, misleading the inexperienced diner to believe this is a rice dish with small birds instead of with small peas a big difference if you are a vegetarian. (One page out of five on the menu has prices for each of the food items. Prices for everything listed on the menu would be a helpful improvement.)

Four cultures contributed to present-day Dominican cuisine: the indigenous Taino; the Spanish; as well as people from both Africa and the Middle East. The source of protein in the Dominican Republic was originally limited to seafood and chicken until the Spanish introduced pork and beef to their diets. Meat proteins are accompanied by starches such as plantains, rice and beans. The importance of these foods is reflected on KRs menu.

On my next visit, Ill sample the flan and Morir Sonando (orange juice and milk with oatmeal).

NAPKIN NOTES

My guest expected spicy food, but instead enjoyed flavorful pork chops. She had difficulty pinpointing key seasonings. In truth, many Dominican dishes are seasoned with the ubiquitous sofrito, a sauce borrowed from the cuisine of Puerto Rico made with green peppers, onion, garlic, sweet Caribbean peppers and cilantro.

KR Dominican Cousine

WHERE: 1305 Altamont Ave. (behind the gas pumps), Rotterdam, 12303; 518-280-3881

WHEN: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday10 a.m.-5 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $48.60 without tax or tip

MORE INFO: Parking area, handicapped accessible, credit cards accepted, takeout, free delivery, outdoor dining weather permitting.

Categories: -The Daily Gazette, Food

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At the Table: A taste of the Caribbean? Walk this way - The Daily Gazette

On Wednesday, March 31 producer Mikie Bennett and recording artist Ataklan (aka Mark Jiminez) joined Professor April Baptiste, Coordinator for Caribbean Studies for ALST, and Professor Kezia Page, Director for ALST, to speak on their experiences for the Caribbean Week Keynote Panel: COVID-19 and the Impact on Caribbean Culture. The Zoom webinar was included in the Caribbean Week events, presented by the Caribbean Students Association and the Africana and Latin American Studies (ALST) Program and sponsored by the Dart Colegrove Commons.

Mark Jiminez is a Trinidadian singer, songwriter, producer and promoter who operates the record label TAJ Records and is regarded as a genuine and well-renowned voice of Trinidadian and Soca music. Mikie Bennett, known as the Quincy Jones of reggae, is a distinguished producer from Jamaica, the managing director of Grafton Studios and Director of Culture for the FIWI Jamaica project at UTECH. Together, they provided deep insights into the effects that the global pandemic has had on the Caribbean music industry over the past year.

For Jiminez, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Trinidadian music industry have been profound. Notably, the Festival of Carnival, historically drawing over 40,000 tourists during the season of Lent to celebrate culture and music, has been fundamental to Trinidadian music in terms of both cultural significance and economic stimulation. The pandemic prevented the traditional Carnival celebrations, thus requiring a new approach to the festival. Jiminez explained that translating a sensory, euphoric [physical] celebration, characterized by Soca musics connection to physical dance with friends and family, into an online format has been very challenging. However, Jiminez noted that the pandemic provides an opportunity to find new ways of how to explore technology and celebration.

Although Jamaica does not host a celebration reminiscent of Carnival which brings in a large number of tourists for a specific event, Bennett echoed Jiminezs thoughts on the struggles of virtual entertainment, citing the importance of live celebration to Jamaican people. Bennett explained that reggae music reflects the lifestyle of Jamaica and is a wonderful tool for the philosophy of Rastafarian. Reggae, and a subgenre of reggae called dancehall, rely heavily on revenue from performing live and touring to finance the industry; due to the importance of physical contact to the DNA of reggae and dancehall, the music industry and Jamaican culture have suffered greatly during this time of quarantine and travel limitations.

Both Bennett and Jiminez stressed the importance of social media in the contemporary Caribbean music industry, pre-pandemic and now especially with the move to virtual entertainment. This transition between physical celebration to digital sharing was spoken about at length by Bennett, who noted that this transition isnt confined to audio streaming but a variety of virtual content, engendering artists to more profoundly focus on modes of distribution. Jiminez also hopes that Caribbean artists will be able to grow their audience virtually, utilizing social media as a tool for this. According to him, The Caribbean has always been a great contributor to world culture, creativity, and music. Jiminez hopes that with greater recognition of the shifting paradigm of global music, Caribbean-based music will be able to grow to take up more space in the international sphere. Explaining that the Caribbean diaspora are resilient and creative people who will be able to use this time to innovate, Jiminez expressed optimism for an expansion of Caribbean music into larger and more mainstream spaces. Furthermore, both Jiminez and Bennett stressed the promising role todays youth play in the revitalization and extension of Caribbean music.

First-year Mel Anderson stressed the personal importance of the event.

I grew up in the Caribbean, so attending the Caribbean Week Keystone Panel made me realize how much I miss Caribbean culture and especially Carnival. One big takeaway that I got from the event was the large impact of COVID-19 on Carnival and other aspects of Caribbean Culture, and the role of young people in helping to globalize and carry on the work of older generations. I wish there was more of a presence and events at Colgate aside from this week.

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COVID-19 and the Impact on Caribbean Culture The Colgate Maroon-News - The Colgate Maroon-News

Sailfish Brewing Company opened for business in April 2013 near downtown Fort Pierce. In February 2017, the brewery opened a new taproom and increased its production to a 20-barrel system.

Everyone has a fish story.

Sailfish Brewing Co.s story began in downtown Fort Pierce as the first craft brewery on the Treasure Coast.

And it continues with a second location in Vero Beach.

We wanted to do something in an area that wasnt too far away, but close enough, said David BuShea Jr., the brewerys president. We have a huge fan base in Vero.

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Danielle West (left), tap room manager at Sailfish Brewing Company, talks with her customer Jay Weeks (right), of Jensen Beach, inside their renovated tap room on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in downtown Fort Pierce. Sailfish Brewing Company has renovated their tap room and is now open from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.(Photo: ERIC HASERT/TCPALM)

BuShea founded the company with Nick Bischoff, Mike Sturgis and Danny Horton and opened the brewery April 2013 in historic Edgartown. They moved into a bigger space in 2017 just down the road on North Second Street.

They always talked about having multiple locations as part of their business plan, and Bischoff and Strugis are from Vero Beach.

Its really exciting to grow the brand, BuShea said. The more people we can get more beer out to, the better.

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BuShea hopes to open the Vero Beach location by the end of May, but that depends on licensing and permitting. The latest opening would be early summer, he said.

Sailfish will open in the Portales de Vero building on Ocean Drive, in the former Orchid Island Brewery taproom that moved to distribution only last year.

The new location will have a taproom and kitchen, but all brewery operations will remain in Fort Pierce. BuShea said the downtown space already is set up for future expansion.

The Vero location wont have the same pizza kitchen as Fort Pierce because it doesnt have enough space. BuSheaplans to close in the previous open kitchen and add a commercial hood.

The menu will feature fresh fish, bone marrow and small beach bites. The taproom will offer beers to go and special can release available only there, as well as more emphasis on wine.

Sailfish Brewing Company has recently started canning their most popular beer, White Marlin Wit.

Vero Beach is a different market than Fort Pierce based on demographic research, BuShea said. He and the other founders wanted to open in an area that made sense.

They saw the opportunity to expand the business next to a public beach access and take the brand further across the region.

COVID taught us a lot last year, with having to transition over to an actual restaurant, BuShea said. Thats how were approaching Vero to be more of a taproom and kitchen versus an actual brewery.

COVID and bars: Florida breweries forced to add restaurants to reopen

Sailfish Brewing Company in Fort Pierce is opening a second location in Vero Beach this year. Co-founders include Mike Strugis and Nick Bischoff, both of Vero Beach, and David BuShea Jr.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM SAILFISH BREWING COMPANY)

He said they discovered an opportunity on the retail side of the business the taproom, kitchen and merchandise and how it can support the distribution side, which has grown to be statewide and includes Publix grocery stores.

Theyre now looking to open points of distribution in the Caribbean, such as Puerto Rico, in the next month or so, BuShea said.

They would consider opening more locations across the Treasure Coast after achieving success in Vero Beach.

As the areas first brewery, he said, they want Sailfish to own the region.

Thats our hometown, BuShea said, and we pride ourselves on being a hometown brewery.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter at @TCPalmLaurie or Facebook at faceboook.com/TCPalmLaurie.

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Sailfish Brewing Co. of Fort Pierce to open in Vero Beach, expand to Caribbean - TCPalm

LEXINGTON -- At first glance, Turk is just an ordinary dog. He loves his chew toys and sneaking a nibble at the houseplants when his owners aren't looking. He runs around his large backyard and befriends everyone he meets.

Nevertheless, Turk's life was almost very different.When veterinarian Susan Burkhart first laid eyes on the stray pup four months ago, he was sick, tired and nearly dead.

Turk, who was born in the Caribbean nation of Turks and Caicos, has adapted well to his life in Lexington.

Turk, who was born in the Caribbean nation of Turks and Caicos, has adapted well to his life in Lexington.

He was covered with hundreds and hundreds of ticks and he was so anemic and weak it was hard for him to even stand, recalled Susan Burkhart, the chief of staff at the Animal Medical Center of Ontario.

Burkhart met Turk during a trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands, where she had planned to attend a continuing education seminar. After the seminar was cancelled due to COVID-19, Burkhart decided to go anyway as a volunteer.

She contacted the Turks and Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCSPCA), where representatives told her they would welcome her help with spaying and neutering the massive population of stray dogs on the islands.

While on the islands, Burkhart became fascinated by the stray dogs. Islanders call them "potcakes" because they survive by eating the food that gets caked on to the bottom of pots, which people throw out for them.

According toPotcake Place, an adoption agency for the stray dogs, most grown potcakes are medium-sized and range from 45 to 55 pounds.

I saw some sick animals and kind of realized what a bad problem they have," she said. "So many of them live on the streets in packs and just kind of scrounge for food and fresh water."

Burkhart was especially taken aback by how tame the dogs were. Despite living in feral packs, most would readily come up to her to be petted and for food.

When I would drive around and try to feed them, many of them are still real friendly and forgiving even though theyve been abandoned by people," she said.

When Burkhart met Turk, she knew she couldn't leave him on the island. He'd been brought in to be neutered but was too weak to undergo the procedure.

Instead, Burkhart brought him back to the United States with her, determined to find him a home. The nine-pound pooch was so exhausted that he slept the entire way home, curled up under Burkharts plane seat.

Meanwhile, Buzz and Bertha Bishop of Lexington had just lost one of their own furry friends.A mutual friend connected the Bishops with Burkhart a few weeks after her return.Bertha knew the moment she met Turk that he was meant to be a part of the family. He went to live with hisfur-ever family the very next day.

Hes the best dog ever, Bishop said. Its weird to say that he knows how lucky he is, but it seems like he does sometimes. Everybody loves Turk.

Burkhart and Bishop have become obsessed with potcakes ever since.

Theyre just really interesting, unique, tough dogs. Theyre smart and theyre survivors, Burkhart said.

The two women now tell everyone they meet about potcakes, Bishop added. The pair have become vocal advocates for adoption and are even recruiting others to help with the rescue effort.

In the future, Burkhart hopes to bring more volunteers with her to help transport potcakes back tothe United States for adoption.

"Rescue organizations down there are always looking for people traveling back to the U.S. and Canada willing to serve as couriers," Bishop said. "The rescues take care of paperwork, fees, everything ... all people have to do is travel with the puppy in a carrier."

In order to be brought back to the United States, the dog has to have a rabies shot and pass a veterinarians exam in order to board the plane. Customs requires a governmental health certificate and veterinary papers from the country of origin.

Nevertheless, you don't have to become a dog courier or adopt a potcake to help address problems of overpopulation and animal homelessness. There are plenty of cats and dogs waiting for a good home at theRichland County Dog ShelterandHumane Society of Richland County.

Burkhart also encouraged current pet owners to make sure their animals are spayed or neutered.

Burkhart will return to Turks and Caicoslater this month to conduct more spays and neuters, as well as treat heartworm and tick-borne diseases.

Treating those ailments improve a dogs quality of life, but also make spaying and neutering procedures safer.

Spaying and neutering (dogs with tick-borne diseases) was quite a challenge because with tick-borne diseases, they don't have platelets so they bleed like crazy, she explained.

A GoFundMe account has raised more than $2,000 to help cover the cost of treating the animals.

A lot of people have pulled together and wanted to do what they could to help. Its really nice to know that theres so many people whocare," she said.

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Local vet rescues stray canine from the Caribbean - Richland Source

Brittany Baptise is a nurse at the Scarborough General Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago, in the Caribbean. Today is her day off and she smiles as she describes how nervous she was when she learned that she would be working in an intensive care unit (ICU) to treat COVID-19 patients.

I was a bit fearful because, coming from the medical ward, we didnt really know the rules and function of an ICU. I had no formal training, I had little knowledge about how the ventilator works, the settings and these things.

By the end of September 2020, Brittany was trained and working in the ICU with new skills and competencies to offer as part of an integrated team of health professionals. She was one of a cadre of 82 nurses across 7 Caribbean countries to take part in a 4-week training course to learn new skills and competencies to work in ICUs. These nurses are now making significant contributions to hospitals across the Caribbean providing critical care to COVID-19 patients.

This is crucial to the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC), which is dependent on a sufficient, equitably distributed and well-performing health workforce. The arrival of COVID-19 has severely challenged progress in this area.

Urgent need for critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, the Caribbean Region recorded its first imported case of COVID-19. By mid-March 2021, there had been more than 100,000 confirmed cases, and some 2,000 deaths across 20 countries in the Caribbean. The pandemic exposed a range of weaknesses in country health systems and the health workforce; a key problem being a shortage of critical care nurses.

Recognizing the urgent need, the University of West Indies School of Nursing, a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, developed a course to equip nurses with the right skills and competencies to provide critical nursing care in ICUs.

The PAHO/WHO Trinidad and Tobago Country Office supported the training of 2 cohorts of a total of 50 nurses from the Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago. The PAHO Subregional Programme for the Caribbean, through the UHC Partnership, supported an additional cohort of 32 nurses from 6 other countries of the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana and Suriname.

The UHC Partnership works in 115 countries and areas to help governments accelerate progress towards UHC with a primary health care approach, through funding provided by the European Union (EU), the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Irish Aid, the Government of Japan, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Belgium.

Critical care training in theory and practice

The 4-week training was a combination of virtual sessions with face-to-face training in a clinical setting. The course covered clinical care for COVID-19 patients; foundations of critical care; management of respiratory conditions; renal dysfunction and replacement theory; epidemiology and infection control; management of neurological conditions; and the Critical Care Practicum.

In each hospital, the Ministry of Health identified a member of staff who acted as preceptor and provided mentoring and clinical supervision to the student nurses.

Nurses who have been trained are able to think critically about their work in the ICU, are no longer intimidated by the ward environment and equipment, are able to better assess patients and communicate more effectively with patients and colleagues.

Registered nurse, Rehemia Reyes, Head of Adult ICU at the Eric Williams Medial Sciences Complex. Preceptor ICU Nursing course. PAHO/WHO

From a health systems perspective, the nurses have gained new skills, which they can transfer to general wards, and their additional capacities can facilitate task sharing and task shifting as an alternative to shortages of health care workers during the pandemic.

This critical care training will also have an impact beyond the ICUs and contribute to a stronger health system overall throughout the Caribbean.

WHO has declared 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers in recognition of their dedication to providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged health systems worldwide.

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Caribbean countries boost the capacities of nurses in critical care during COVID-19 - World Health Organization